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Patna High Court

Bipin BihariversusThe State of Bihar

Decided
Disposal
DISMISSED

Holding

The appeal is dismissed and the acquittal of the accused is upheld.

Summary

The appellant, Bipin Bihari, alleged that his daughter was subjected to dowry demands and torture by her in‑laws, culminating in her disappearance and presumed murder on 5 July 2022. He filed an FIR charging the husband, his brother‑in‑law and two in‑law women under Sections 498A, 304B/34, 201, 364/34 of the IPC and Sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act. The trial court, after examining the prosecution’s witnesses and noting the absence of any direct evidence of the victim’s death, the lack of a body, the six‑day delay in lodging the FIR, and the fact that the husband had taken the daughter with parental consent, held that the prosecution had failed to prove any of the offences and acquitted the accused. On appeal, the High Court affirmed the trial court’s findings, observing that the evidential gaps and procedural deficiencies precluded any inference of guilt and that the appellate court could not disturb a lawful acquittal. Consequently, the appeal was dismissed.

Issues considered

  • Whether the prosecution proved the death of the victim.
  • Whether the elements of a dowry death under Section 304B IPC were satisfied.
  • Whether the allegations of dowry harassment under Section 498A IPC were established.
  • Whether the charge of kidnapping under Section 364 IPC was proved.
  • Whether the dowry demand under the Dowry Prohibition Act (Sections 3 and 4) was established.
  • Whether the acquittal can be set aside on the basis of the evidence on record.

Legislation cited

Subjects

  • dowry death
  • Section 304B IPC
  • Section 498A IPC
  • kidnapping
  • acquittal
  • evidentiary burden
  • delay in FIR
  • Criminal Appeal
  • Indian Penal Code
  • Dowry Prohibition Act

Judgment

          IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
                      CRIMINAL APPEAL (DB) No.1461 of 2024
        Arising Out of PS. Case No.-173 Year-2022 Thana- KHANPURA District- Samastipur
     ======================================================
     Bipin Bihari S/o Late Yogendra Pathak R/o vill and Post - Lagunia
     Raghukanth, P.S. - Muffasil, Ward No. 46, Samastipur, Bihar

                                                                        ... ... Appellant
                                           Versus
1.   The State of Bihar
2.   Ashish Kumar Jha S/o Late Amar Shankar Jha R/o vill - Nathudwar, P.s. -
     Khanpur, Distt.- Samastipur
3.   Abhishek Kumar Jha S/o Late Amar Shankar Jha R/o vill - Nathudwar, P.s. -
     Khanpur, Distt.- Samastipur
4.   Pushp Gandha Devi W/o Late Amar Shankar Jha R/o vill - Nathudwar, P.s. -
     Khanpur, Distt.- Samastipur
5.   Kanchan Kumari D/o Late Amar Shankar Jha R/o vill - Nathudwar, P.s. -
     Khanpur, Distt.- Samastipur

                                               ... ... Respondents
     ======================================================
     Appearance :
     For the Appellant/s     :        Mr. Piyush Kumar Pandey, Advocate
                                      Ms. Aditi Shahi, Advocate
     For the Respondent/s    :        Ms. Shashi Bala Verma, APP
     ======================================================
     CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE RAJEEV RANJAN PRASAD
             and
             HONOURABLE JUSTICE SMT. SONI SHRIVASTAVA
     ORAL JUDGMENT
     (Per: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE RAJEEV RANJAN PRASAD)

      Date : 18-04-2026


                 Heard learned counsel for the appellant and learned

     Additional Public Prosecutor for the State.

                 2. The present appeal has been preferred for setting

     aside the judgment of acquittal dated 11.09.2024 (hereinafter

     referred to as the ‘impugned judgment’) passed by the learned 1 st

     Additional Sessions Judge, Samastipur (hereinafter referred to as
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       the ‘learned trial court’) in Sessions Trial No. 60 of 2024 arising

       out of Khanpur P.S. Case No. 173 of 2022. By the impugned

       judgment, the respondent nos. 2 and 5 have been acquitted of the

       charges punishable under Sections 498A, 304B/34, 201, 364/34 of

       the Indian Penal Code (in short ‘IPC’) and Section ¾ of the Dowry

       Prohibition Act.

                    Prosecution Case

                    3. The prosecution case is based on the written

       application of the informant/appellant (PW-1). In his written

       application, he has stated that marriage of his daughter was

       solemnised with Ashish Kumar Jha (respondent no.2) on 11th

       December, 2019. At the time of marriage, the informant had gifted

       cash, ornaments, clothes and many other items to his in-law. Four

       days after the marriage, informant's daughter went to her sasural

       where her in-laws started demanding bullet motorcycle and on

       protest they started torturing her. This was informed to the

       informant by her daughter on which the informant and his son

       used to go there but due to shortage of fund, he was not able to

       fulfill the demand of bullet motorcycle. Her daughter spent three

       months in her in-laws house anyhow and she used to ask the

       informant to take her from in-laws house otherwise they can kill

       her. The informant brought his daughter to his house for some days
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       thereafter her daughter again went to her in-laws house but their

       behaviour remained the same. Due to cruel behaviour of her in-

       laws, the informant brought her daughter to his house on 1 st July,

       2022 and her daughter disclosed her that her in-laws many times

       attempted to kill her but she was saved by the neighbours on which

       the informant called his son-in-law Ashish Kumar Jha who came

       to his house on 03.07.2022 where he accepted his mistake and

       assured that no untoward occurrence would occur in future with

       his daughter and also assured to take informant's daughter to his

       house after persuading his mother and brother. Then the informant

       asked his son-in-law to keep his daughter in the room provided in

       his office on which his son-in-law went from there.            On

       05.07.2022, in conspiracy with his mother, brother and sister

       informant's son-in-law came to his house on bullet motorcycle and

       asked his daughter to come with him which was informed to the

       informant then he arrived at his house and after much persuasion

       informant allowed his son-in-law to take his daughter to his house.

       At the time of leaving the house, informant's daughter was wearing

       some ornaments and was having a mobile of SIM No.

       7070605432. After one hour, informant's wife made a call on her

       daughter's mobile on which she replied that she was brought to the

       residence at Madhuri Chowk and from there she was being asked
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       to go to Korbaddha whereafter mobile of his daughter became

       switched off. Thereafter, the informant along with his son went to

       his son-in-laws quarter at Madhuri Chowk where he was informed

       that he is not living in the room for last one month and thereafter

       he came to know that his son-in-law and daughter were seen at

       Angar Ghat Chowk going towards Nathudwar on bullet

       motorcycle. The informant and his son went there but no one was

       there in the house, the informant made a call to his son-in-law but

       he did not reply satisfactorily and since then informant was

       searching his daughter but no trace of his daughter could be found

       and now his son-in-law is also not responding to his phone calls.

       The informant inquired from neighbours at Nathudwar where he

       came to know that in the night of 05.07.2022, his daughter was

       killed by her in-laws and disappeared the dead body with an

       intention to conceal the evidence. The informant raised suspicion

       that due to non-fulfilling the demand of bullet motorcycle, his

       daughter was killed by his son-in-law and in-laws under a

       conspiracy and disappeared the dead body.

                    4. On the basis of this written application, FIR being

       Khanpur P.S. Case No. 173 of 2022 dated 11.07.2022 was

       registered under Sections 304(B), 201, 498(A)/34 IPC and Section

       3/4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act against accused persons, namely,
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       (1) Pushpgandha Devi, (2) Kanchan Kumari, (3) Ashish Kumar

       and (4) Abhishek Kumar. After investigation, police submitted

       chargesheet bearing Chargesheet No. 218 of 2023 dated

       26.07.2023 under Sections 498(A), 364/34 IPC and Section 3/4 of

       the Dowry Prohibition Act against (1) Ashish Kumar (husband),

       (2) Abhishek Kumar (brother-in-law), (3) Kanchan Kumari (sister-

       in-law) and (4) Pushpgandha Devi (mother-in-law).

                    5. Learned Judicial Magistrate, 1st Class, Samastipur

       vide order dated 08.08.2023 took cognizance of the offences

       punishable under above-mentioned Sections against Respondent

       Nos. 2 to 5. Upon finding that the offences are triable in the court

       of Sessions, learned Judicial Magistrate vide order dated

       30.01.2024 committed the records to the court of Sessions.

                    6. Charges were read over in Hindi and explained to

       Respondent Nos. 2 to 5 to which they denied and claimed to be

       tried, accordingly, vide order dated 28.03.2024, charges were

       framed under Sections 498(A), 304(B)/34, 201, 364/34 IPC and

       Section 3, 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act against Respondent

       Nos. 2 to 5.

                    7. In course of trial, the prosecution has examined

       altogether seven witnesses and exhibited several documentary
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       evidences. The description of the prosecution witnesses and the

       exhibits are given hereunder in tabular form:-

                     List of Prosecution Witnesses

     Prosecution        Name of the Witness            Description     of   the
     Witness No.                                       Witness
     PW-1               Vipin Bihari                   Informant
     PW-2               Hari Mohan Chaudhary           Teacher in the School
     PW-3               Sumant Pathak                  Co-sharer      of    the
                                                       informant
     PW-4               Ranjit Kumar Chaudhary         Brother-in-law of the
                                                       informant
     PW-5               Pinki Devi                     Mother of the Victim
     PW-6               Arvind Kumar Singh             Second I.O.
     PW-7               Ramesh Kumar Sharma            First I.O.

                    List of Exhibits on behalf of Prosecution

    Exhibit No.         Description of the Exhibit            Proved by/ Attested by
         '1'            Typed written Application             PW-1

         'X'            Bank Statement                        PW-1

         '2'            writing of pagination and             PW-7
                        signature
         '3'            Signature of Station House            PW-7
                        Officer on the first page of
                        the formal FIR
        '3/1'           Signature of Station House            PW-7
                        Officer on the second page of
                        the formal FIR
        '3/2'           Signature of Station House            PW-7
                        Officer on the third page of
                        the formal FIR


                     8. Thereafter, the statements of Respondent Nos. 2 to 5

        were recorded under Section 313 of the Code of Criminal

        Procedure (in short ‘CrPC’). In their 313 Statements, they denied

        the allegations and pleaded innocence.
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                     9. The defence has brought two witnesses and exhibited

        two documentary evidences which are being produced hereunder

        in tabular form.

                     List of Defence Witnesses

     Defence            Name of the Witness            Description     of   the
     Witness No.                                       Witness
     DW-1               Vinit Kumar Singh              Employee at Senior
                                                       Section     Engineer,
                                                       Works South, Railway,
                                                       Samastipur
     DW-2               Sadhan Kumar Dey               Chaukidar of Senior
                                                       Section     Engineer,
                                                       Works South, Railway,
                                                       Samastipur


                    List of Exhibits on behalf of Defence

    Exhibit No.         Description of the Exhibit            Proved by/ Attested by
         'A'            Attendance Register                   DW-1

         'B'            Note and Signature            on      DW-1
                        Attendance Register



                    Findings of the learned trial court

                    10. Learned trial court after scrutinizing the depositions

       of the informant (PW-1), Harimohan Choudhary (PW-2), Sumant

       Pathak (PW-3) the pattidar of the informant, brother-in-law of the

       informant (PW-4), wife of the informant (PW-5), the I.O (PW-6).

       and the other I.O. (PW-7) found that identification of the persons

       who disclosed the informant that informant's daughter Pratima was

       killed by the in-laws has not been brought on record during

       evidence and besides that the learned trial court found that the I.O.
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       deposed that he did not find any evidence regarding death. The

       I.O. stated that he deputed the spy but no evidence could be

       gathered. Learned trial court further found that as per the evidence

       that informant and his wife came to know about the occurrence of

       06.07.2022 thereafter he lodged the FIR on 11.07.2022 and no

       explanation has been given to the I.O. regarding delayed

       information to the police.

                    11. Learned trial court found from the evidence of the

       I.O. that the informant did not get any CDR of the call details to

       establish the claim of PW-5, the wife of the informant that he had

       talked to his daughter after leaving her house.

                    12. Learned trial court found that informant in his

       evidence claimed that he went in search of his daughter with his

       son but informant's son has not been made a chargesheet witness

       in this case. Learned trial court found from the evidence of PW-7

       (I.O.) that no quarter was found in the office at Madhuri Chowk.

       Referring to the evidence of PW-2 the learned trial court found

       that as per PW-2 he had seen the daughter of the informant at 5:30

       PM going towards Nathudwar and after 5-7 minutes PW-1

       informant had also gone towards Nathudwar which was situated at

       a distance of 8-10 kilometer and it takes 10-15 minutes in reaching

       there. Learned trial court found that within 10 minutes the
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       informant also reached Nathudwar and in the meantime, at 6 PM

       in the month of July the accused persons fled away after killing the

       informant's daughter. Learned trial court opined that in absence of

       evidence regarding killing if presumption can be made then

       evidence under Section 108 of BSA is required. Accordingly,

       presumption cannot be made.

                    13. Learned trial court found that the informant's son-in-

       law had a bullet in his possession therefore demand of bullet by

       the in-laws was found doubtful. Learned trial court did not find

       any material in the evidences to suggest that the informant's

       daughter was killed and his dead body was concealed.

                    14. Learned trial court opined that no evidence is

       available on the record regarding death of the informant's daughter

       and also not found any material to suggest screening of evidence.

       No witness has come to say that who had disclosed about the

       killing of the informant's daughter and the witnesses who had

       disclosed about it are the family members of the informant's

       daughter but they are not the eyewitness. They have deposed on

       the basis of hearsay.

                    15. Learned trial court found that the accused Ashish

       Kumar Jha is the husband of the informant's daughter and he had

       taken her with himself with the consent of her parents, therefore,
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       the prosecution has failed to bring this fact in the evidences that it

       is a case of consent and dissent. Accordingly, the learned trial

       court did not find it a case of kidnapping.

                    16. Regarding demand of dowry, the learned trial court

       found that except the family members no witness has stated that

       there was any dispute between the informant's daughter and her in-

       laws and no written or oral complaint was ever made. Learned trial

       court found from the evidences that the informant's daughter used

       to perform her religious work at her in-laws house. The learned

       trial court found that the informant alleged regarding demand of a

       bullet motorcycle but the word 'dowry' has not been used by the

       informant.

                    17. Accordingly, learned trial court after examining the

       evidences available on the record found that the prosecution has

       failed to prove the charges against the accused persons facing trial

       (respondent nos. 2 to 5 herein) and passed the impugned judgment.

                    Submissions on behalf of the informant-appellant

                    18. Learned counsel for the informant-appellant has

       assailed the impugned judgment on the ground that the judgment

       suffers from unusual and wrong appreciation of evidences. It is

       submitted that the learned trial court has failed to appreciate that

       despite having minor contradictions between the testimonies of the
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       witnesses, the witnesses were consistent on one fact that there was

       payment of dowry to the respondents which was well reflected by

       the bank statement which was marked as Exhibit ‘X’.

                    19. Learned counsel for the appellant submits that there

       was a demand of dowry and this fact has been corroborated from

       the bank statements produced by the informant in the court

       showing that payments were made in the accounts of the

       respondent nos. 2 to 5. The trial court ought to have held that the

       deceased was accompanied by respondent no. 2 and based on the

       last seen theory itself and the statements of the witnesses

       corroborating the same, the respondent no. 2 was liable to be

       convicted.

                    20. Learned counsel for the appellant submits that the

       learned trial court has wrongly allowed the plea of alibi of

       respondent no. 2 and has misdirected itself in relying upon the

       testimonies of the defence witnesses.

                    Submissions on behalf of the State

                    21. On the other hand, learned Additional Public

       Prosecutor for the State would submit that the learned trial court

       has rightly appreciated the entire evidences available on the

       record. The trial court has found that the respondent no. 2, Ashish

       Kumar Jha, had got Bullet and Scooty from before, no witness has
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       controverted this. The respondent no. 2 had come to pick up his

       wife, Pratima Kumari, by Bullet. The informant side had never

       made any allegation either in oral or writing that there was demand

       of dowry, in these circumstances, the prosecution had failed to

       establish the charges under Section 3 and 4 of the Dowry

       Prohibition Act.

                    22. Learned Additional Public Prosecutor for the State

       would further submit that the learned trial court has recorded a

       correct finding that the charge under Section 364 IPC would not be

       made out. The respondent no. 2 is the husband of the deceased and

       it is the case of the prosecution witnesses that the respondent no. 2

       had taken away the victim Pratima Kumari with the consent of her

       parents. The trial court has, therefore, rightly concluded that

       respondent no. 2 is the natural protector of the victim against

       whom the allegation of abduction is not proved.

                    23. As regards charge under Section 498A, 304B/34 and

       201 IPC, it is submitted that the learned trial court has duly

       appreciated the evidences brought on the record. The informant

       and the other witnesses who claimed that on 5 th July, 2022 the

       neighbours of the sasural of the victim had informed that the

       victim had been killed and her dead body has been made to

       disappear has not been duly proved. Nobody has disclosed the
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       name of those persons who told this and they have not been

       produced by the prosecution. The I.O. himself says that with

       regard to the death of the deceased, no evidence could be found.

       On these grounds, the appeal has been contested.

                    Consideration

                    24. Having heard learned counsel for the appellant,

       learned Additional Public Prosecutor for the State as also on

       perusal of the trial court’s records, once again this Court finds that

       the marriage between the victim and respondent no.2 was

       solemnized on 11th December 2019 as per Hindu rites and customs.

       The respondent no. 2 was posted as Railway Chowkidar in the

       Office of the Senior Assistant Engineer at Madhuri Chowk,

       Samastipur. It is the case of the informant that four days after the

       marriage, his daughter had come back from sasural. It is alleged

       that a demand for Bullet motorcycle was made immediately after

       marriage which was being protested by the victim whereupon she

       was being tortured. The informant has stated that his daughter used

       to inform this over telephone and whenever he along with his son

       visited to her house. The informant was unable to provide a Bullet

       motorcycle due to financial constraints. His daughter/victim stayed

       in sasural for about three months only and thereafter on many

       occasions the informant came and took her to his house, but
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       according to the informant, the behaviour of the sasural people did

       not change. When the sasural people continued with the torture,

       ultimately, he brought his daughter to his house on 1st April 2022.

       This Court finds that since 11th December 2019 till 1st July 2022,

       neither any oral nor any written complaint was made before police

       or to any person in the society against the conduct of respondent

       nos. 2 to 5. The trial court finding on this point is correct.

                    25. This Court further finds that on 3rd July 2022, the

       respondent no. 2 is said to have come to the house of the informant

       where he was scolded by the informant and on this, he accepted

       the mistake of his family members and promised that in future

       such occurrence will not take place. The informant claimed that on

       5th July 2022, at about 11 AM his son-in-law/respondent no.2 came

       with a bullet motorcycle and in absence of the informant, he asked

       the victim to come with him. It is stated that on the insistence by

       the respondent no. 2, mother of the victim informed the informant

       over phone, the informant came from the school taking permission

       for 10 minutes from the school Headmaster. The informant admits

       that he had permitted his daughter/victim to go with his son-in-

       law. The informant claims that she had gone with the respondent

       no. 2 on his motorcycle. This Court, therefore, finds that in the

       facts of the present case where the respondent no. 2 is the husband
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       of the deceased and the deceased had gone from her maike with

       the consent of her parents, the ingredients of the offences under

       Section 364 IPC is not made out. The learned trial court has,

       therefore, not committed any wrong in taking this view.

                    26. This Court further finds that the informant along

       with his son claims to have come to the quarter of his son-in-law at

       Madhuri Chowk but he came to know that his son-in-law was not

       residing in the said room for last one month. They were going

       towards Nathudwar, on way, he met Hari Mohan Choudhary (PW-

       2) who told that he had seen the son-in-law and daughter of the

       informant at about 5:30 PM at Angarghat Chowk going on a bullet

       motorcycle towards Nathudwar. Some more persons also told the

       informant to have seen his son-in-law going towards Nathudwar.

       The informant claimed to have made a phone call to his son-in-law

       but could not get a satisfactory response. From these statements of

       the informant (PW-1), it is crystal clear that on the same day i.e. on

       05.07.2022 he had gone in search of his daughter/victim, he had

       also made phone call to his son-in-law, it is not the case of the

       informant that his son-in-law did not pick up the call. The

       informant says that his son-in-law could not give a satisfactory

       reply. If it is so, it is difficult to believe as to why the informant did

       not lodge any report of killing of his daughter in the police station.
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       The informant went to the police station on 11.07.2022 i.e. after 6

       days of the occurrence. This conduct of the informant cannot be

       said to be natural and the delay of 6 days in lodging of the FIR

       despite knowledge that his daughter has been killed would create

       huge doubt on the prosecution story.

                    27. The learned trial court has analysed the prosecution

       evidence and found that the second I.O. (PW-6) has stated that he

       had taken charge of the investigation on 13.07.2023. PW-6 had

       taken statement of the accused and recorded the same in paragraph

       ‘135’ of the case diary. In his cross-examination, he has stated that

       he had not taken statement of any witness, he had not inspected the

       place of occurrence, he had interrogated the respondent no. 2 but

       his statement was not recorded. He could not make a verification

       as to whether the victim was still alive or not. He had submitted

       charge-sheet in order to ensure that the accused does not get

       benefit of section 167 CrPC. The first I.O. (PW-7) had inspected

       the place of occurrence which is the sasural of the deceased at

       Nathudwar which falls under Khanpur police station. He had

       recorded the statement of Ranjit Kumar Choudhary, Sumant

       Pathak, Hari Mohan Choudhary and Pinki Devi. PW-7 had also

       visited the office of the Senior Section Engineer, East Central

       Railway, Samastipur where the accused was working. He could
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       not find any trace of the dead body. PW-7 has stated that in course

       of inspection of the place of occurrence, he had not found any

       mark of violence, no witness in the vicinity of the place of

       occurrence affirmed that the daughter of the informant/victim has

       been murdered in the night of 05.07.2022 and that the dead body

       of the victim has been made to disappear, therefore, in the

       supervision, Section 304B IPC was removed. This witness has

       stated that there is no CCTV camera at Angarghat and he had no

       talk with the officer-in-charge of the police station regarding the

       delay in lodging of the FIR. Hari Mohan Choudhary (PW-2) had

       not stated before PW-7 in his statement that in the night Bipin

       Bihari Choudhary and his brother-in-law Ranjit Choudhary had

       come to his house and had called him from the road and said that

       nobody was found and there was a lock at the door of the house.

       This witness had also not stated that on 06.07.2022, he had gone in

       search of the victim but no one had informed that in the night, the

       victim has been killed and the dead body has been made to

       disappear. PW-2 had not stated before the I.O. (PW-7) that the

       victim used to come to his school and say that her sasural people

       were doing marpit with her and they were demanding a bullet.

       PW-7 has also stated that Pinki Devi (PW-5) had not stated in her

       statement that at 3:54 PM, she had made a call to her daughter who
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       told her that she was afraid and was going from Madhuri Chowk to

       Korbaddha. She had also not said that the son-in-law talked for

       two minutes and then cut the call. This witness had also not said

       that on 1st July, the daughter had come to her house. The I.O. had

       not taken out the CDR of the mobile of the victim and her mother.

                    This Court finds that Vineet Kumar Singh (DW-1) is the

       Senior Section Engineer, Works South, Samastipur who has

       deposed in favour of the respondent no.2. He is said to have come

       with the original register and he proved that at item no.1 of the

       attendance register name of Ashish Kumar Jha is mentioned and

       on 05.07.2022 Ashish Kumar Jha was on duty from 6:00 AM to

       6:00 PM. He has deposed that on the said day, Ashish Kumar Jha

       was on duty.

                    28. In ultimate analysis of the entire evidences available

       on the record, the learned trial court has taken a view that the

       charges levelled against respondent nos. 2 to 5 have not been duly

       proved.

                    29. We are dealing with an appeal against acquittal

       wherein it is settled principle that the Appellate Court should not

       interfere with any judgment of acquittal unless the Court comes to

       an irresistible conclusion that the findings of the learned trial court

       are perverse and there cannot be any other conclusion but to held
             Patna High Court CR. APP (DB) No.1461 of 2024 dt.18-04-2026
                                                        19/19




                    that the accused are guilty of committing the offence as alleged. In

                    the present case, we are of the considered opinion that the learned

                    trial court has not committed any error in appreciation of the

                    evidences on the record. No interference is called for.

                                 30. This appeal has no merit. It is dismissed accordingly.



                                             (Rajeev Ranjan Prasad, J)


                                                 (Soni Shrivastava, J)
Rishi/-
AFR/NAFR
CAV DATE
Uploading Date          20.04.2026
Transmission Date       20.04.2026


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